The Nashville Food Dude Top 10: #6 404 Kitchen

I wasn’t sure if I was going to include 404 Kitchen in my top 10 until our most recent visit a few weeks ago.

We first visited 404 at its original location a few years ago. We had an early reservation, around 5:30 I think. Because of the location of our table, the sun was brutal–in my eyes for most of our dinner. The space was beyond cramped. Our server came across as pretentious. There were other issues, but it’s not worth digging into an experience from 3 years ago. The food itself was outstanding–and that’s what eventually brought us back.

With the new location–where Watermark was formerly located in the Gulch–and with continued, well-deserving praise for chef Matt Bolus’s food, we decided to give it another go. And, believe me, 404 Kitchen didn’t disappoint this time around.

Our mixed experience from our first visit isn’t a factor anymore. The new space is warm and modern. The July weather in Nashville this year has been surprisingly pleasant, and we were fortunate enough to land a seat on the patio. 

My wife and I split two appetizers. The Alabama shrimp and beet cavatelli with yogurt dill and lemon ($16) was an unusual, excellent combination that worked perfectly. My wife, not a lover of beets, even went back for several bites.

Even with the put-everything-on-toast culinary trend, the scallop toast ($18) was a delicious combination, paired with avocado, lemon, crispy banana and mizuna (I looked it up. It’s a Japanese mustard green).

For entrees, I went with the Benton’s ham wrapped trout ($32) with salt and vinegar potatoes and ramp chow chow. I was tempted by the New York strip, but the trout dish looked too good to pass up. And, yeah, that was a good move. The ham was super crispy, contrasted by the perfectly cooked trout. The ramp chow chow was incredibly flavorful.

My wife selected the ragout ($25)–comprised of peach truck peaches, pork, yellow tomatoes, gin, frascatelli, basil and grana. The peaches and pork worked perfectly together and gave the dish a balanced sweetness.

I’m not a huge dessert person, but my wife and I enjoyed the blondie ($10), made with dulce de leche, dark chocolate, coffee ice cream and a touch of lemon zest.

Last but not least…the whiskey.

Holy bourbon, the whiskey list. Their list of options from Willet alone is longer than some restaurants’ wine list. And if you like the Pappy, there’s plenty of Pappy to choose from–12 to be exact, though 4 were sold out when we visited.

Obviously, you should expect to pay–the Pappy ranged per pour from $55 for the 10 Year Old Rip Van Winkle (2017) to $250 for the 23 Year Pappy Van Winkle (2016). Maybe my experience is limited, but this is the only whiskey list I’ve ever seen that has an index in the back. It’s like the Encyclopedia Brittanica of whiskey lists. I ended up going with a pour of Weller and calling it a night.

Overall, our recent visit to 404 Kitchen was pretty much perfect. The food was incredible. The ambience on the patio was a perfect setting for our anniversary dinner. Our server was attentive and took care of us from the first moment we sat down.

We love the new location, and I think it’s safe to say that 404 Kitchen will be one of Nashville’s best restaurants for years to come. Thanks to Matt Bolus and team for a wonderful experience.

Check out 404 Kitchen online, and on Facebook and Instagram.